Why The World Needs Superman
by Vadakin
Summary: A brief article I wrote a while back for the Bluetights Superman fan site in response to the article by Lois Lane in Superman Returns called Why the world doesn't need Superman .


WHY THE WORLD NEEDS SUPERMAN

By Jedsithor

It's hard to remember a time before Superman. The world was a bleaker place. War and prejudice were a constant reminder of the failings of humanity. We fought over land, we fought over religion, we found numerous excuses to kill each other. Religious fanatics spread poison across the planet, committing acts that went against the teachings they claimed to uphold.

Then, out of nowhere, a being of vast power revealed himself to us. He didn't use his abilities to conquer us, he used them to help us. Suddenly the world began to change. Crime rates went down, nations made peace. Our home seemed to become a better place to live.

We called him Superman, a saviour from beyond the stars. An alien, who seemed more in touch with what it means to be human than any of us. Lois Lane claimed that the world didn't need him. A little ironic since without Superman, she wouldn't have been alive to write her prize-winning article.

Then he left, and the world fell in to chaos. Ms. Lane believes that we had become too dependent on the Man of Steel and perhaps she was right. But the blame doesn't lie with Superman, it lies with us. Superman never claimed to be a saviour, he never called himself a hero. We are the ones who put him on a pedestal, who called on him to save us time and time again…and he did so, without asking for any reward or recognition.

Many people resented him for leaving, they believed that Superman was their property to use whenever they wished. Yes, we learned to fend for ourselves once he was gone, but that doesn't mean we didn't need him anymore.

Ms. Lane pointed to Earthly heroes – teachers, fire-fighters, doctors, the police. And they are heroes. But teachers retire, as do doctors and fire-fighters. We don't expect a policeman to walk the beat every day of his life without food or rest and nor should we expect the same of Superman.

Even with Superman around, people still died, disasters still happened. He couldn't be everywhere at once. But with Superman watching over us, people that should have died were saved and many disasters were prevented. We never expected Superman to show up at every single disaster. We knew that, despite his amazing abilities, he was still just one man. We hoped that he would be there, but we still approached situations under the assumption that he wouldn't. We didn't lose our survival instincts as you suggest Ms. Lane, we carried on as normal and Superman lent us a helping hand when he could.

He never said he was a god or a divine being. In fact, in many of the articles you wrote Ms. Lane, you quoted Superman as saying that he was no different than the fire-fighters and police. He was just a guy trying to help us.

Of course it's impossible to ignore the fact that Superman has some amazing gifts. He can fly, shoot fire from his eyes and lift entire mountains up over his head. A sprinter can run the 100 meters in under 10 seconds. Does that mean he should keep running when he's in his 60's or 70's just because it's a natural talent? Of course not.

Superman's departure is no different than a doctor who chooses to retire. Did the world really expect him to fly around saving us forever? The very fact that the world became a worse place when he left proves that we still need him. Without doctors, people would get sick and die. Without teachers, our children would be uneducated and have little or no future. And without Superman, hope disappears.

Yes, we do depend on him in some ways and perhaps we shouldn't. But we do need him, if only to show us the possibilities of our future. Wars stopped when he was around, but Superman didn't stop them. We did. In fact, Superman has maintained neutrality when it comes to conflicts between nations. Sure, he encouraged us to try to create peace, but he didn't do it for us.

When he returned, the world embraced him with open arms. Thousands of people stood in Metropolis, waiting outside the hospital to pray for him after he fell from the skies…it hardly seems like the actions of a world that hated him for leaving in the first place.

We need Superman, not to solve the world's problems, but as an example of what we can become if we endeavour to solve them ourselves. If he continues to help us, stopping great tragedies from occurring, then we should be grateful, but we shouldn't raise him to the level of a god just because he can put out a fire with his breath.

And if Superman should decide to call it a day and move on, then we should thank him for his efforts, but we shouldn't resent him…not after the many lives he has saved. We cannot be selfish, we cannot afford to be wrapped up in our own misguided perceptions of reality.

Superman never made us forget how to survive on our own. He didn't spoon-feed us with political statements. He saved us because he wanted to, not because we told him to. He is a symbol of what we can become and that's why we need him.

Someday, he may leave again and if that happens, we must make sure that we don't blame him for our own failings. If he leaves, we should use his legacy to inspire future generations, not use his departure as an excuse to drown ourselves in misery.

Why does the world need Superman? For the same reason people believe in God. To have the courage to do things ourselves, while knowing that there is someone there, watching over us. He may not always come when there's danger, but just knowing he's out there, somewhere gives us the strength to be greater than we think is possible and that is Superman's greatest gift to us.


End file.
